vol. 3 núm. 4 (2025): enero - junio

Nietzsche's philosophy is an abyss; it induces vertigo. Within it, there are no certainties, no definitive judgments, no apodictic decrees, no Euclidean axioms. It was not Nietzsche's intention to dogmatize. This is why reading his work is supremely difficult, as its unsystematic nature prevents following a conceptual, deductive construction where one idea leads to others in a chain, forming an Ariadne's thread that allows one to trace the development of his thoughts. There is no guide in his work that offers security or reassurance about certain contents. Thus, his philosophy ultimately becomes a dense jungle, difficult to navigate, and in which, as in any wild jungle, it is easy to get lost. This is why reading Nietzsche becomes an experience, an adventure where the port or destination is not clearly visible; where the horizon does not stretch out before the traveler, offering itself as a path to be followed. In what follows, I would like to explore some of the challenges that arise when approaching Nietzsche's work. To do so, (1) I begin with three testimonies that highlight the difficulty of reading him, and based on these, (2) I proceed to raise eight hermeneutical questions regarding the interpretation of his work; (3) finally, I explore some possible solutions to these problems, concluding with some final remarks. In fact, Ecce Homo (Nietzsche, 1997a) cannot be considered a guide, as it is an autobiographical text that sheds light on some aspects of his major works but does not provide a path or a specific order for reading them. Moreover, it does not encompass the entirety of his oeuvre.

Of the barrels of ink that have been spilled over the force field that is Nietzsche, little has been written about his notion of agón. Only in recent years has Nietzschean research given it the relevance that Rafael Gutiérrez Girardot had already foreseen in 1966. This article aims to trace that concept in the Nietzsche of the Colombian philosopher, following the methodology of the social history of philosophy proposed by Pachón Soto. According to this interpretive analysis model, the article considers how the historical-editorial conditions of Nietzsche's work, which circulated from Germany to Colombia and vice versa during Gutiérrez Girardot’s intellectual formation, influenced his reception of the concept of agón. The article argues that the Nietzschean agón, as interpreted by Gutiérrez Girardot, is a Hegelianized agón, shaped by the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, according to which Nietzsche—and therefore his Greek agón—have a metaphysical bias. Finally, the article suggests that, despite its Heideggerian orientation, this interpretation remains heterodox. This is because reading the agón in a dialectical key allows Gutiérrez Girardot to understand it not only as the Greek concept of competition (as tension, conflict, and play) but also as the driving force of universal history, which, due to its inherent movement, inevitably fosters the era of nihilism.

Hace algunos años planteamos un proyecto dedicado a la recepción de Nietzsche en Colombia.  Hoy nos complace presentar parte de estos avances. Digamos, de entrada, que al interior de una Historia social de la filosofía (Pachón, 2020) los estudios de recepción no buscan, simplemente, constatar y dar cuenta de la manera como ciertos pensadores y filósofos colombianos recibieron la obra de Nietzsche, cómo la discutieron, que conceptos estudiaron, criticaron, etc., sino que, además, implica el estudio de la producción, la circulación y el consumo de la filosofía como institución. Aquí se tejen varios elementos que van desde los contextos sociales, educativos, culturales; atención a las traducciones, ediciones, traductores, las instituciones, redes intelectuales, proyectos, en fin, lo que podemos llamar “el campo filosófico”. Este campo está configurado históricamente y forma parte de las tradiciones intelectuales de un país, una nación, una cultura; es un sustrato ineludible de nuestro presente. Estos tópicos aparecen, de una u otra manera, en los artículos que aquí presentamos.

The following writing develops the problems exposed by Giorgio Agamben in his work Profanations (2005), specifically the chapters on helpers and desire, with the purpose of presenting a relationship of what is addressed in the two proposed parts. Narration perspectives are constructed in the assistants in order to generate a concept of assistant and protagonist as political and social figures. With respect to the chapter on desire, an attempt is made to clarify the presentation of the problem contained in the difficulty of expression of desire that embraces desire itself and its solubility contained in the role of the messiah. In this way, a connection between desire and helpers as precursors to the realization of desire is evident.

El artículo examina la influencia del pensamiento de Friedrich Nietzsche en la obra del filósofo colombiano Nicolás Gómez Dávila. En el primer apartado se indaga acerca de la relación de Gómez Dávila con su contexto intelectual, social y cultural, con el fin de esclarecer las circunstancias en las que se dio su recepción de la obra de Nietzsche. El segundo apartado se centra en la escritura aforística como elemento común entre los dos autores e indaga sobre la biblioteca personal del colombiano como una herramienta para conocer las fuentes y ediciones que mediaron su interpretación. El tercer apartado analiza la relación entre cristianismo y democracia en el pensamiento ambos autores. Finalmente, el cuarto apartado se enfoca en la idea de la “muerte de Dios”, el nihilismo y la religión democrática.

The article analyzes Danilo Cruz Vélez's interpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche's work, emphasizing the influence of Martin Heidegger on his reading. This study contextualizes the reception of philosophy in Colombia within a setting marked by the editorial and cultural limitations of the 20th century. Cruz Vélez explored Nietzschean concepts such as the critique of metaphysics, nihilism, and the will to power, adopting an approach so deeply influenced by Heidegger's ideas that it often bordered on a mere exercise in translation with pedagogical ambitions. According to his interpretation, Nietzsche attempted to overcome metaphysics but became trapped in a "metaphysics of subjectivity," where concepts such as eternal recurrence and the will to power reflect a cosmology centered on life and becoming. Therefore, his reading also highlights, for instance, the importance of the genealogical analysis of language and existence as tools to transcend metaphysics. Cruz Vélez identified Nietzschean nihilism as a historical process culminating in a radical critique that intertwines metaphysics and morality, resulting in an active nihilism that enables the transvaluation of traditional values. The methodology of this work draws from Pachón Soto’s social history of philosophy, which uses a methodological framework based on analyzing the historical-material conditions surrounding an author and their impact on their work. Although Cruz Vélez relied heavily on Heidegger's interpretations, his efforts contributed to the dissemination of contemporary philosophy in Colombia, facilitating what authors like Castro-Gómez describe as the appropriation of philosophy’s “technique.” His philosophical legacy demonstrates how historical and cultural constraints can become opportunities for innovation in thought, laying the foundation for a philosophical dialogue in Latin America.

The article examines the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche's thought on the work of Colombian philosopher Fernando González Ochoa. The first section investigates some biographical and sociocultural elements of González that can help us understand his interpretation of Nietzsche. The second section analyses the influence of the Nietzschean concept of the overman on González's political project, in relation to his interpretation of Latin American history. Finally, the third part focuses on the role of religion and Christian morality in the thought of both authors.

This paper analyzes abortion as a fundamental right and an expression of women’s autonomy and dignity, highlighting its nature as a political and social dispute. Despite some progress, structural inequities persist, reflected in the criminalization and restriction of guarantees. The objective is to explore how the right to abortion reflects disputes over power, autonomy, and justice, drawing on the theories of Young (2000), Fraser (2015), and Davis (2005). Three key aspects are examined: abortion as a justice issue, state regulation as an expression of inequality, and debates within feminist movements. Additionally, intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) is addressed to incorporate race and class into these discussions.   The text concludes that an intersectional perspective enables progress toward gender justice that integrates redistribution and recognition, making visible the complexities of the phenomenon and challenging existing power structures.

El presente artículo busca presentar algunas reflexiones iniciales en torno a una novedosa apuesta para la formación de los abogados en donde las emociones, en particular la empatía y la compasión, impliquen sus procesos formativos desde los primeros encuentros con la profesión en las aulas de clase de las universidades y los centros de formación, pero que no se agota allí; en tanto que, la tarea formativa que acá se pretende se extiende al escenario judicial en la que los jueces jugarán un rol fundamental. Para ello, se harán: i. unos comentarios previos en los que se  presentará y se contextualizará a los lectores de la propuesta; ii. En un segundo acápite se hará alusión a la apuesta formativa en el escenario académico; iii. En el tercer apartado se presentarán argumentos para hacer extensivo el componente emocional a la práctica judicial.

Sexual violence against women represents a problem deeply rooted in patriarchal structures that perpetuate oppressive gender roles and systemic inequalities. This form of violence not only operates as a mechanism of control, but also symbolizes an extreme expression of domination and subordination. Hierarchical gender roles have historically sustained an unequal power relationship that grants men power in the public and private spheres, overriding women's autonomy over their bodies and decisions. Historically, theoretical, political and legal discourses have legitimized the idea of male superiority, normalizing violence as a tool of control and perpetuating unequal practices. Although the specific dynamics may vary culturally and historically, the constant subordination of women highlights the need to question the structures that sustain these inequalities. The recognition of sexual violence as a structural problem demands a critical and transformative perspective that dismantles oppressive narratives and promotes gender equity, guaranteeing the full exercise of women's rights. The objective of this article is to present a theoretical approach to sexual violence based on a bibliographic and documentary review and from a feminist, differential, gender and human rights approach. The results show that sexual violence is a historically and structurally present reality, presenting its sociological dimension as a social and historical phenomenon as a result of a predominantly patriarchal culture in which women have been subordinated.

En esta entrevista conversamos con el doctor Ángel Rivera Novoa, presidente de la Sociedad colombiana de Filosofía (SCF), con quien compartimos reflexiones profundas sobre los desafíos y las oportunidades que enfrenta la filosofía en nuestro país, a propósito de la creación del capítulo nororiental de la SCF. Este capítulo, pionero en nuestro país, pretende fortalecer la presencia de la filosofía en regiones como el nororiente colombiano, a partir de la integración de programas académicos a nivel de pregrado y posgrado en el territorio y la promoción de actividades que visibilice en la labor filosófica que se lleva a cabo en la región. El doctor Rivera destaca la importancia que tiene consolidar redes académicas para fomentar un diálogo cercano y colaborativo entre los actores que llevan a cabo la labor filosófica en las distintas regiones del país.